The Foreigner and Got7
by irisbloom95
Summary: A girl travels overseas after joining the army, all for a chance to see her favorite Kpop band. What happens when she attends a concert and gets more than she bargained for?
1. Chapter 1

**The First Meeting**

The concert hall was packed. I'd spent half my paycheck trying to get front row seats and backstage passes to see them. I could feel the anticipation in the room. The concert hadn't even begun and it was already loud. I looked around me. Not a single foreign face. Korean fans shouted and waved their hands, impatient for the concert to begin. Like me, they'd been waiting for quite some time.  
I twirled my long brown hair and stared down at my black flats, trying to calm my growing nerves. This was it. I'd finally see them. The lights started to dim and the screams around me seemed to grow louder as everyone cheered for them. One by one, they came onto the stage. First it was JB, that smirk of his plastered on his face. Next was Youngjae with his goofy smile. Then came Mark with a backflip and the entire audience seemed erupt. Next was adorable BamBam and Yugyeom. And finally, it was him. Jackson. He walked onto the stage with a pair of baggy pants and t-shirt, his hair hidden by a cap studded with "WANG".  
Others around me went nuts as the music came on and Girls started but I drowned it all out focusing on Jackson. I became one with the music, finally experiencing what it felt like to be an IGot7 upfront and personal. I sang along to every song and wove my hands in the air and cheered for them as song after song came on. They were amazing and I loved them all but each time Jackson's solo came on, I ignored everything else and focused solely on him. I loved the way his hips swayed when he dance and I loved the way he smiled out at the fans. I envied a few of the girls he winked at but I knew it wasn't anything special.  
The concert continued and when the final song ended, they gave their thanks to their fans and went off the stage. Those with backstage passes were asked to wait in a separate area meet with the members and so I followed the other lucky girls.  
I felt odd and out of place. Being the only foreigner who didn't really understand much of the language was hard enough but I also realized how plainly I was dressed. Being a girl who preferred personal comfort over fashion, I wore a plain blouse and skinny jeans and a pair of flats, heck I didn't even do anything special to my hair.  
Oh well. When the concert hall emptied out, the others and I were escorted to another sitting area where we waited a little longer. The anticipation and nervousness from before seemed to come back tenfold. I sat silently, thinking about everything I had to do to get here.  
Three months ago:  
"I'm shipping to Korea in a month. Can you guys at least try to be happy for me?" I groaned at my mom.  
"We are happy for you dear, it's just we are concerned. You'll be living there all by yourself." I looked at my mom and couldn't help but shake my head. It wasn't easy being the youngest. Adding the fact that I'd joined the army when I was supposed to be finishing college didn't help either. Still, it was my only chance at freedom and I took whatever I got.  
"Look, all mom is trying to say is that you're our baby and we just worry for you. While you're there, be safe and don't make any stupid friends. Oh and when you finally do see you're Got7, please don't faint." My older sister teased. I smiled at her.  
"No promises. I don't know what I'll do if Jackson comes in front of me."

Two months ago:  
After a tearful goodbye with my family and a million promises to take care of myself and call home every day, I boarded my flight to South Korea. Once there, I was met by military personnel that helped me settle in before I reported for my first day of duty.  
Two months of grueling basic training and six months of on the job training taught me all the skills I needed to support the army base in Seoul. I was a geospatial engineer working for the U.S. army now and my job was to serve the U.S. and protect South Korea. Wonderful.  
After admiring the capital city while on our way to the base, I was introduced to my staff sergeant. The rules were all laid down in front of me and shown where to do my job and what schedule I would follow. After being allowed to retire to my temporary barracks, I reflected on my decision, still unsure if it was right or wrong.  
Several days passed by with me being stuck at base as I gradually grew accustomed to the lifestyle and made friends. I was surprised to meet many people my age, growing especially close to an African American girl named Gabby.  
Gabby was a little upset to learn I'd be living off base but she promised to come over all the time and I welcomed it. When I first saw my tiny one bedroom apartment, I fell in love instantly. It wasn't in an especially busy area of Seoul and it wasn't too far from the base so the morning commute wouldn't be horrible.  
It was small but it was home and I got plenty of help to settle in. It took me several days to get things just right and the way I wanted, but between work and the online classes I promised to continue because of my parents, I didn't get around to doing much.  
I was dying to see the rest of Seoul, so when my first free weekend rolled in, I hit up Gabby and the two of us discovered the city together. Gabby, already being there for a few months, knew some of the places and happily showed me her favorite spots. Our last stop before dinner was at a large department store much like Macy's back home and I purchased some extra towels and some decorations for my tiny apartment.  
That night, I lay in bed smiling as I recalled my day out in Seoul. It was amazing and scary at the same time to think I was hundreds of miles away from home, in a foreign country, all by myself.  
"That's not right, I'm not away from home, this IS my home." I said aloud to myself. Not feeling sleepy just yet, I turned on my laptop and went on Youtube. There I watched videos of Got7 until I finally passed out.  
One month ago:  
"I'm going." I said as I stood up from my couch. Gabby looked up at me with surprised eyes.  
"Really?"  
"Hell yeah, that's practically the whole reason I came to Korea in the first place. I want to meet Got7 and this is my chance. I'm going to the concert." I picked up the plates with leftover food and placed them in my fridge as I continued talking to Gabby. She walked over and started to help me with the dishes and I gave her a thankful smile.  
"I guess you're right. I can't go though. That's the week I'm flying to America." That was right, Gabby would be away on a two weeks leave for her sister's wedding. She'd insisted that I go but I was saving up my vacation days so I couldn't.  
After Gabby left, I did it. I got my tickets for my first Got7 concert. That night I fell asleep and dreamt of my first meeting with Jackson.  
Present day:  
Too lost in my thoughts, I was surprised when the group made their entrance. The other girls rushed towards them but I remained seated, too shocked to move. They were mere feet from me and I cursed at myself for not being able to get up. The first one to notice me was BamBam and he smiled at me as he walked towards me so I slowly got up and bowed, greeting him formally.  
He started speaking to me in Korean and I picked up on a few of the words but not enough to really understand what he was saying. He stopped talking and waited for an answer as I stared at him dumbly.  
"BamBam, what are you doing? She probably doesn't understand Korean." I looked past him to see Mark approaching us.  
"Oh,sorry…" BamBam looked a little embarrassed and I smiled at him kindly so as not to make him uncomfortable.  
"Do you speak English?" Mark asked me in English and I nodded dumbly.  
"Yes, I do." Mark rose a brow and I wondered if I said anything wrong.  
"An American accent, are you from America?" I smiled at him and nodded and suddenly, he broke out his dazzling smile and I thought I would faint. He was even more beautiful upfront and I couldn't help but admire the brilliant red of his hair.  
"Nice, I found a fellow American! Where are you from?" He asked excitedly.  
"I'm originally from New York, but I live in Florida…or at least I used to." I said.  
"East coast. Nice." Mark said as if he approved.  
"Oooh! American!" BamBam exclaimed excitedly. "Foreigner!"  
"You're a foreigner too!" Mark said to the excited BamBam.  
"I guess." BamBam said in English and I couldn't hold back my giggle. The two of them looked at me and smiled.  
"Come on, let me introduce you to the others." Mark surprised me by grabbing my hand and I followed him to the others having a good time with the other fans.  
"Thank you." I said nervously.  
"JB, we got ourselves another foreigner, nice right?" Mark said and JB looked up from where he was sitting and up at me, greeting me with a smile.  
"Nice to meet you. I am JB."  
"I know." I said and smiled as I bowed. It was just as I expected, probably even better. They were all so sweet. All in all, there were only five girls so there was a lot of Got7 to go around. JB laughed and stood up.  
"So you are from America like Mark? Are you also from LA?" Yugyeom asked, his accent thick.  
"No, I'm from Florida."  
"OH! Florida? Miami?" Youngjae asked.  
"No, but Miami is an hour away from where I'm from." I said. I looked nervously at the other girls who seemed to look upset and not getting as much attention as I was. I was a little upset that Jackson wasn't here yet and I wondered if he would come at all.  
Junior said something to me in Korean and once again I gave him that dumb expression that I understood nothing.  
"She doesn't understand Korean." Mark said before turning to me. "He asked if you came all the way to Korea to see us."  
"Oh." I looked at Junior and smiled. "In a way, yes. I actually moved here because of my job."  
"Oh." That was all he said as he smiled before another fan caught his attention.  
"Where do you work?" Mark asked as he escorted me over to a table full of drinks and food put out for the fans and members to enjoy. He picked up a few nuts and popped them in his mouth as I picked up a glass of lemonade.  
Mark waited patiently as I took another sip of the refreshing drink. I was about to reply when I realized something was wrong. I looked across the room as one of the girls started to creep up behind JB while his back was to him. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but my glass clad eyes caught the shimmer of something sticking out of her sleeve. I narrowed my eyes at the girl and followed her closely as I quietly sat my glass down. Mark stopped munching on his snacks and looked over at me.  
By the time I realized what it was in the girl's sleeve, she was mere feet from JB. I broke out into a run as I shouted for JB to move. Everyone looked at me surprised and the girl stopped for a second looking at me surprised before flipping out the blade just as I tackled her. I was glad for the strength I had acquired from my vigorous training but amidst the confusion and shouting, it was a little hard to concentrate. The girl swung at me and cut my right upper arm. I held my arm as I narrowed my eyes at her, ignoring the other's shouts for security. Careful to stay away from the blade, I circled the girl and when she hesitated just as I got close, I grabbed her arm and twisted it hard. She yelled out something in Korean as the blade fell from her hand and in one swift motion I pushed her down onto the ground and straddled her from both sides, using my weight to keep her down.  
Everyone remained frozen for a second but chaos broke out just as security rushed in. Assessing the situation, they dragged me off of the other girl, assuming I was the attacker. This angered me but I remained calm and let Mark explain. He spat a million words per minute as he looked at them and at me. The girl on the ground was shouting and screaming obscenities as she was cuffed. The blade was retrieved by another security guard and there was blood dripping from it when he held it up. My blood. I realized as my adrenaline rush began to fade, that the pain grew and I clutched my arm. I'd lost more blood than I thought and I swayed lightly and was about to fall but Yugyeom, who was standing closest to me caught me in time.  
"Hey! Are you okay?" Mark said rushing towards me.  
"Yeah…it's just a little cut." Mark looked at the wound and glared at me.  
"You call that little? We need to get you to the hospital." There was much fussing after that but in the end, the girl was dragged away and the fan meeting was cut short as medics arrived and I was taken to the hospital. I fell asleep in the back of the car, Mark and Youngjae accompanying me. JB and the others were taken aside for questioning before we left.  
"Hey, wake up. We are here." I opened my bleary eyes and looked up at the emergency sign to the hospital blaring red outside the car window. My arm was bandaged but the medics decided I needed stiches since the cut was deeper than I'd thought. I just went along with it.  
Mark helped me out of the car and I looked up into his kind eyes, grateful for having his help.  
"What is it?" Mark said since I wasn't moving.  
"You're very kind, doing all this for a stranger."  
"Are you kidding? You took a knife for us. And you're an IGot7, that makes you a stranger and a member of our family." I smiled at Mark and together, the three of us were escorted to the emergency room.  
The wait wasn't very long as we waited. I was asked for my identification and I handed my card to the nurse. She looked up at me and then at the card again. I smiled at her weakly as she put my information into system. She handed me the ID card back but I dropped it and Youngjae kindly picked it up for me and was about to hand it back to me before he stopped and looked at the card.  
"A-yana." My name sounded funny coming from him and I giggled. "OH! Army?!" Mark scrunched his brows and looked at Youngjae before snatching the ID and looked at it himself.  
"You're in the army? No wonder you looked like you knew what you were doing back there." Mark beamed one of his brilliant smiles and I blushed. Seeing that I was flustered, he stopped teasing me and continued reading the rest of the information on the card.  
"You're 21?!" Both of them looked at me surprised and I blushed even deeper. What were their reactions supposed to mean? "I honestly thought you were 18 at most." Mark said, laughing.  
"Yes, me too." Youngjae said as Mark handed back my ID. Before I could say anything, the nurse interrupted and I was taken to a room where she unwrapped my bandages and assessed my wound.  
"Yes, you will need stiches." Her English was a little sketchy but I was grateful. I looked over at Mark and Youngjae who were sitting quietly reading magazines.  
"Hey Ayana, you think I look good in this picture?" Mark suddenly said as he turned the magazine and I saw a solo picture of him. Good? Did he just ask me that? He looked GORGEOUS! Of course I didn't say that though.  
"You look great in that picture, Mark. Oh, sorry…I called you Mark but you're older than me…am I supposed to call you oppa or something?" Long before I came to Korea, I knew respect for those older than you was a big thing here. So I had to be careful not to disrespect anyone local at least.  
"No. We are both from America. Things like that don't matter there. Besides, I don't want to be your oppa, that makes me your older brother. I want to be your friend." I blushed at that for a moment before being distracted by the needle the nurse was preparing for the stiches. I didn't notice the look Youngjae gave Mark as he continued to look at me.


	2. Chapter 2

A Needle and Seven Hands

Mark's POV:  
I watched Ayana as she looked at the needle nervously. She looked adorable as she bit her lower lip and I wondered if she looked even better than me doing it. I laughed at my own thoughts before catching Youngjae staring at me.  
"Are you flirting with her?" Youngjae asked, his tone oddly teasing.  
"What?! No." I said too quickly. I met his narrowed eyes as a sly smile played on his lips and I glared at him before he shrugged and looked away. When the attention was off, I looked at Ayana again, this time she squirming as the nurse explained in broken English that it wouldn't hurt a bit.  
"If you're scared, I can hold your hand." I said suddenly as I stood up. She looked over at me with wide eyes and shook her head, insisting that it wasn't necessary and that I was already doing enough.  
"It's alright, don't worry and just focus on me." I stole a chair and sat next to her as the nurse prepped her for the stiches. For the second time that day, I grabbed her hand in mine and realized how small they were.  
"A-yana." I heard Youngjae say her name in that funny way and Ayana looked over at where Youngjae was sitting. He raised a fist in the air. "Fighting!"  
Ayana smiled at him and raised her right fist. "Right. Fighting. Ayana, fighting. Got7, fighting!"  
I squeezed her hand slightly as she looked at the needle nervously to let her know I was there. I tried not laugh out when she squeezed my hand hard and looked away, shutting her eyes as the needle pricked her and the nurse went to work.  
By the time we were done, my hand felt numb and I realized that although she was small, she was strong.  
"All done." The nurse started cleaning up and Ayana opened her eyes and blinked them several times as she released my hand.  
"It's done. I did it!" She said excitedly. Youngjae and I both looked at each other, laughing.  
Ayana's POV:  
I realized they were both still there when they were laughing and I decided to thank them. "You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for everything. Really, I mean it from the heart. I've always loved Got7, but I love you guys even more now. And I'm sorry for the trouble…"  
"Don't apologize, you're the hero tonight. Not us." We all looked at the door, surprised to see JB standing there, the rest of the crew behind him. My eyes met Jackson's and my heart came to a stop as he smiled at me. That smile, that beautiful smile, only and only for me.  
"When did you guys get here?" Mark asked in English, trying to be polite in front of me.  
"A while ago. We were waiting for the nurse to finish." BamBam said as he pushed past JB and walked in. "How are you feeling?" He came close to me and leaned in observing the bandaged arm and then looked right at me. I nervously pushed my glasses, realizing that BamBam was close enough that I could smell the cologne he wore. It was surprisingly musky for the cute guy but it suited him.  
He winked at me, causing me to blink and I saw the annoyed expression on Mark's face as BamBam laughed and stood back. I was still getting used to the fact that Got7 themselves were fawning over me.  
"Sorry, you're glasses make you look very cute." I blushed at BamBam's comment as the other ooh'd and aww'd.  
"Alright, enough teasing her. Got7, come here." JB ordered and Mark gave me a smile as he left to huddle with the group where they seemed to have a serious conversation in Korean. They finally broke away and for a second I was confused as they spread themselves out in the room, with JB in the center.  
They surprised me as one by one, dropped to their knees and JB walked to where I was sitting and took my unwounded arm and knelt down in a similar fashion and thanked me for my hard work and for protecting them tonight.  
I didn't realize it but I was in tears when they all finally looked up.  
"Silly girl, don't cry." Mark said as he walked towards me and hugged me. I saw the surprised looks in the other member's eyes and I blushed as Mark stepped back.  
"Yes, don't cry." BamBam hugged me next and one by one, everyone did.  
The last one was Jackson. Everyone waited as he approached me. "I wasn't there when it happened, but thank you for your loyalty and for protecting my brothers." When he hugged me, I gasped. It was embarrassing, to say the least.  
Jackson and the others grew all flustered and JB scolded him, thinking he hurt me.  
"Oh crap, sorry did I hurt you?" Jackson looked positively adorable as he tried to apologize and I shook my head vigorously to let him know that it wasn't him. Well it was, but not because he hurt me, just the fact that I got to touch him was amazing.  
"No, I'm alright. Really, thank you all." The nurse walked in then, clearly annoyed that there were so many guys in the room and respectfully, the guys stood aside to let the nurse complete her job and let me go.  
Jackson's POV:  
When she gasped like that, I swear I got scared. I thought I'd hurt her. So even after she insisted, I felt bad, so I kept my distance. I watched as she signed the discharge papers and when we were finally ready to leave, Mark walked over to her and helped her. I overheard Youngjae tell the others in Korean how Mark was flirting with her earlier.  
It was unlike Mark to be so close to a fan, then again, none of us had ever been in this kind of situation before.  
When we got outside, a girl called out and for a second I thought it was another crazy fan but she didn't run exactly towards any of us. I realized she was wearing an army uniform.  
"Ayana! Are you alright?" The girl looked flustered as she observed Anaya's bandaged arm.  
"Gabby? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on your way to America." The rest of us stared at the two girls.  
"Yeah but my flight got cancelled and I'm going tomorrow so I worked today. Girl, I leave you for one day and you go and get yourself stabbed? Sergeant is pissed…" Everyone except Mark and Youngjae gave them a confused look.  
"Shit, really? How did she find out?"  
"The nurse at the hospital called me as your emergency contact…and well…" The other girl looked sorry and I watched as Anaya shook her head.  
"I'm guessing you're here to take me to her?"  
"Yeah. She told me to bring you in asap." Gabby said guiltily.  
"Okay, let me just say good bye." Anaya turned to look at us.  
"Are you in trouble?" Mark asked, stepping towards her.  
"No…not really…well I don't know yet. But it'll be alright, don't worry." She said, trying to smile, but we could all tell she was nervous.  
"But that's not exactly fair, she did whatever she did to save JB." Jr. said, suddenly stepping up.  
"Yeah!" The others chimed in. I stood silently and watched.  
"Hey…oh my god…you're Got7!" The girl practically squealed and we all looked at each other before smiling at her.  
"Yes, nice to meet you." JB said.  
"Damn girl, you're lucky." Gabby said turning to Anaya.  
"I don't know how getting stabbed at a concert is considered being lucky…" Junior said.  
"Oh…well…" Gabby didn't know what to say so we stood there in an uncomfortable silence.  
"Well, it was nice meeting all of you and thank you for staying with me. It's getting late and we should get going…plus you've all had a tiring day."  
"Nah, what's singing in front of a couple of thousand fans compared to getting stabbed in the arm by a crazy fan?" Mark said, half-jokingly. "Here, give me your phone." Confused, Anaya took out her phone and handed it over. Mark looked at the screensaver and smiled in my direction before tapping something in and handing it back.  
"Here's my number, call me, okay?" Anaya looked surprised but nodded quietly.  
"Hey, wait." BamBam approached her and took her phone and tapped his number in too. Yugyeom did the same. Youngjae also put his number in her phone. JB smiled and did the same and Junior shrugged and did the same. Each one of them gave me a funny look when they did, so curiously, I walked up to her and took the phone from her and looked down at her phone. There smack in the center of a heart was my picture.  
A blush crept up my cheeks and I bit my lip, trying to keep calm.  
"Umm…" I tried to say something but it wasn't easy as the others snickered behind me. A cold wind blew through and I noticed Anaya shiver slightly and without thinking, I took off my jacket and placed it on her. She looked up at me with wide eyes but I avoided looking right at her, trying to act cool as I put my number in her phone.  
"Th-thank you for the jacket…" She said to me and then looked at the others. "Have a good night everyone."  
"You too. Both of you, get home safe." JB said and we all stepped back as we watched Gabby and Anaya climb into the car and drive off.  
"Alright team, we've had a long day and it's late. Let's go home." I followed my crew to our waiting car and the entire ride home, everyone spoke about Anaya.  
"You should've seen her. She was amazing. We got to see the security footage and it was like a movie. She was talking to Mark and then she put her cup down and ran. She freaking got stabbed but she still went at the girl. You're lucky JB!" Yugyeom gushed.  
"Yeah, Jackson missed it though. What were you doing anyways?"  
"I got an important phone call from my dad." I mumbled, upset that I missed it. I was more upset though that a fan like her got hurt. If I were there, maybe I could've stopped it.


	3. Chapter 3

**First Text**

Anaya's POV  
My punishment for my actions at the backstage fan meeting was running an extra mile every day, basically a slap on the wrist. Considering what happened, I was let off pretty easy. For the time being, I was allowed a week off to rest and get back in shape.  
After Gabby dropped me home and made sure I would be comfortable, she left for the night. It was almost one in the morning by the time I settled into bed. I turned off the lights and stared at the jacket cast over my rolling chair.  
"Wow, what a day." I closed my eyes and tried to relive it. My first moments with Got7 and already I was closer to them than most fans. My arm still hurt a little while I moved so I put a pillow under it and rested it while I used my phone with my other hand. Suddenly, a notification popped up on my phone. Got7 was doing a live broadcast. Curious, I opened the V app and started watching.  
"Hello fans, we know it's late but we just wanted to share with you how thankful we are for today's concert." I read the captions out loud as JB continued speaking and I looked closely at some of them while they nodded in the background. They fooled around for a little bit and replied to some of their fans comments. On a whim, I typed something too and sent it in.  
"Thanks for everything today. All of you were amazing." My username was my name so I knew they'd know who I was.  
"Oh look! Guys!" Youngjae called to the others fooling around in the background. Mark was the first to see the comment and smiled straight at the camera.  
"I'm waiting for a text from a very special friend." I smiled at him, alone in the darkness of my room. The broadcast ended and I sat there wondering if it would be alright to text them.  
JB's POV: At the Dorm  
"Did Anaya text anyone yet?" BamBam said as he played with a squishy ball. He threw it to Yugyeom and they started a game.  
"Not yet, but I'm sure it was her comment." Youngjae said. All of them were awed. Sure they had plenty of fans and they loved them very much but Anaya was different. From the first moment they'd talked to her, she didn't treat them the same way other fans did. Most fans idolized them, said that they loved them, did little girly things to impress them, but not her.  
"She's a little weird, don't you think?" Junior said as he sat flipping through the TV channels. I watched him from my spot on the couch and thought about it.  
"Why do you think that?" Mark said as he settled in next to him.  
"I don't know. I just got a weird vibe." Everyone stared at him.  
"She's not weird at all. She's actually kind of sweet." Mark protested as he looked at his phone. We could all tell he was still waiting for that text.  
"I bet she thought we were too weird. Maybe that's why she's not texting us." BamBam said.  
"No… we aren't that weird?...Are we?" Yugyeom said. He and BamBam stopped passing the ball and stared at each other. Just then, Jackson's phone beeped and we all jumped.  
"Chill, it's not her. It's my dad." Jackson replied to text, sighed and then put the phone down. We were all tired from the day's events but none of us were ready to sleep. Tomorrow was a free day so we had nothing to do.  
"I bet she'll text Mark first." Yugyeom said.  
"Yeah, he took care of her the most." Mark looked at his younger team member and smiled.  
"No, I think she'll text Jackson first. She did have a picture of him on her phone's screen, I bet he's her bias." Junior said.  
"JB, you're very quiet. Are you okay?" I was sitting in the big armchair as I looked up at BamBam.  
"I'm just…thinking. If she weren't there, I could've been seriously hurt." I could feel the anger rise up again inside. It took all my patience to keep my cool and answer the officer's questions about the incident but in reality, I just wanted to get out of that room and make sure the girl was okay. I felt a little better when I found out that Mark and Youngjae were personally escorting her to the hospital, even though our manager was against it.  
"Yeah…she was pretty awesome." A heavy silence fell on all of them.  
"Let's make a bet." BamBam said suddenly, seeing the other member's sullen faces.  
"What?" Youngjae said looking at the younger boy.  
"Let's wait and see who she texts first. The first person to get a text from Anaya wins."  
"Okay, but what do they win?" Yugyeom said.  
"Umm…how about the chance to ask her out?" Mark said.  
"I don't think dating a fan is a good idea." Junior said, scrunching his nose.  
"Well it doesn't have to be a 'date' date. It can be an outing with a friend."  
"Besides, she's no longer just a fan. She's more than that." BamBam clarified.  
"Okay then, deal, first text wins." I watched my other team members as they got all pumped up and stared at their phones.  
"I think we should start this tomorrow morning…I don't think she's going to text us this late. She looked pretty tired, she's probably asleep by now." Yugyeom said.  
"Yeah she-" Just then, everyone's phone beeped.  
"It's her!" BamBam yelled.  
"Have sweet dreams, Got7. Good job on the live broadcast, you all looked great. J" Jackson read out loud.  
"So…" We all looked at each other with uncertainty.  
"This doesn't count." Junior said as he laid his phone down next to him.  
"Hmm…" I said as I looked at my phone.  
That night I lay awake. I looked over at Youngjae, his chest rising and falling peacefully as he snored.  
"Sleep peacefully, you idiot." I muttered as I closed my eyes and turned towards the wall.  
Ayana's POV  
The next morning I awoke to my aching arm. It was tougher than I thought while I tried to shower and brush my hair. Moving my arm seemed impossible so I had cereal for breakfast and lunch.  
I stared at my phone all day, wondering if I would get a text from any of them, but no. None yet. I wondered what they'd be doing.  
"Probably goofing off at dance practice." I realized I was being too familiar. I'd only gotten to know them for a few hours and already I felt like I knew them my entire life. If only that were true.  
Sighing, I turned on the TV and watched reruns of a KDrama. My mom called and I talked to her, careful not to mention anything from last night's incident. Gabby texted me from her stop in London, pouting about not being able to get out of the airport and see the city.  
At five in the evening, I decided to send my first text. At first, I thought it would be weird if I texted just one person, but I realized there was something I was itching to ask him and so I pulled up his name and started to type.  
JB's POV  
My phone beeped but I ignored it. I'd checked my phone too many times to think it was her. Two minutes later, it beeped again to remind me that I'd gotten a text. We were all seated in the living room, watching a rerun of our reality show, except that we were all concentrated on my buzzing phone instead of the TV.  
"You should check that." Mark said as he stuffed his face with gummy bears.  
"Yeah!" BamBam said trying to lean over my shoulder and catch a glimpse as I rolled my eyes and opened the text.  
"Who is it?" Junior asked, curiously.  
"It's her." I said as the others flocked around me.  
"What? Why you? I was sure it was going to be me. Or even Jackson." Mark frowned.  
"It says, how are you doing today? Sorry, I hope I'm not bothering you, I'm sure you're all busy with practice and stuff. I didn't get a chance to speak with you yesterday but I'm sure you must've been shaken up from yesterday's incident. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. JB fighting. J"  
"Aww, that's sweet." Yugyeom teased and I threw a pillow at him.  
"More importantly, he won the bet. When are you asking her out?" BamBam asked.  
"I still don't think it's a good idea to date a fan." Junior said.  
"Hmm…" I thought about what I should type first.  
"I have an idea, let's invite her over here." Youngjae said.  
"We can't. Girl's aren't allowed in the dorm." Jackson said as he looked up from his own phone.  
"Then let's go over to her place. We have the night off with nothing to do."  
"What if she's with her family?"  
"I don't think so, that girl Gabby was listed as her emergency contact…if she had family here why list her?" Mark said.  
"But Mark, she's in the army. What if she doesn't have her own place?" Youngjae said.  
"Wait, she's in the army? So that's what all that sergeant stuff was about." BamBam said. The others looked at his as if he were stupid.  
"What did you think it was about when her friend arrived in a uniform and they were talking about it?" I asked.  
"I don't know…" BamBam said and started laughing at himself.  
I shook my head as I looked down at the text. Deciding what to write, I texted back.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Dance**

Ayana's POV  
I sat at my dining table, quietly anticipating a text back as I looked at the clock. The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. My heart began to fall when ten minutes passed and I got no text. I was being stupid, they were probably busy.  
"Or maybe they are famous celebrities with no time for idiots like you." I shouted at myself and then groaned. "Got7 will be the death of me."  
My phone buzzed then and my eyes grew wide as I realized JB wanted to come over. I looked around my place, it was pretty neat and then I checked my fridge…I could cook but my arm really didn't help…  
After debating for half an hour, I sent a text back with my address. I didn't have to wait long as he texted back telling me he'd be on his way.  
I had to hurry. At the concert I looked like an idiot and didn't put much thought into what I'd wear or anything but this time, I raided my closet. I had to look just right.  
I giggled as I put the music up and sang along. I tried on several different outfits, some too flashy, some too plain until I decided on a pair of comfortable jeans and a loose sweater. Perfect to wear at home.  
I got started on a few appetizers and realized I'd run late if I didn't hurry. Careful not to put too much stress on my arm, I finished the little corn dogs and made some lemonade.  
Just as I finished cleaning, the doorbell rang. I ran over to the door and checked out the peephole. There standing outside my door, stood JB. He looked nervous as he pulled on his coat collar and I giggled quietly as I admired him.  
Taking a deep breath and assessing myself one last time in the mirror next to the door, I opened it.  
"Hey!" I said smiling.  
"Hey!" He smiled back, his perfect white teeth flashing as his eyes shrunk.  
"Come in." I stepped aside to let him in and I noticed he was carrying a plastic bag.  
"Here, these are for you." He held it out to me and I saw that it was a fruits basket.  
"You didn't have to…thank you." As I shut the door, we stood in awkward silence. What was I supposed to say? "Let's sit." I walked him over to my tiny living room and sat him down on the couch. "Sorry, it's a bit small but it's still home."  
"It's lovely. You're lucky to have your own place. You're parents aren't here?" JB asked. I could hear the accent in his voice but it made it that much more appealing.  
"No, they are back in the states. I'm here for my job."  
"That's right, Mark mentioned you were in the army." I nodded but before I could say anything, the doorbell rang again. I looked at it, confused. I wasn't expecting other guests.  
I excused myself to open the door. Looking out of the peephole, no one was there so I cautiously opened my door and suddenly six figures jumped out and shouted.  
"Oh my god." I wanted to curse but I held my tongue. The other members of Got7 stood at my doorstep, grinning.  
"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you." Jackson said as he looked down at me.  
"Yes we did." Youngjae said.  
"Hey, how are you?" Mark came in for a hug, careful not to bump my arm and I hugged him back awkwardly.  
"This is a pleasant surprise. I had no idea you guys were coming."  
"Should we leave?" Jr. asked, almost too seriously.  
"Of course not, the more the merrier. Please, come in." The boys set their shoes aside and stepped into my tiny apartment. With eight of us there now, it seemed a little cramped and I apologized.  
"Don't be ridiculous, it's a nice place." Jr. said, lightening the mood from his earlier comment.  
"Hey JB! My man!" Mark said as he entered the living room and I watched as JB tried to keep a smile on his face.  
"You guys are here. How nice." He said dryly. Then he said something in Korean that shut the others up and for a moment, they all looked at each other. I almost thought something was wrong before they all burst out laughing.  
It was a good thing I made extra food so when the boys settled into my cramped living room, I brought out the appetizers and lemonade.  
"Why did you do all of this?" Mark said standing up and taking the tray from my hand.  
"Umm… I just wanted to." He shook his head and everyone thanked me before digging in. I just stood back and watched. Was it real? Was Got7 really at my house? I wanted to scream and twirl and scream again but I couldn't.  
I kept my cool and watched as they ate. BamBam noticed me watching and stood up with a mini corndog in hand and approached me.  
"Here, you should eat too." I smiled and shook my head but he insisted, bringing the food closer to my mouth. The ketchup coating it stuck to my lips and I was a little taken aback when BamBam gave me a sly smile and wiped it off my lips with his thumb. He kept his hand like that for a moment before Mark pushed him away and tried to stuff my face again.  
Reluctantly, I took a bite and backed away as he grinned at me. Youngjae offered me a lemonade and I took it from him thankfully as I watched the other boys play around.  
"Let's play some music. What do you have?" Jr. said as he walked over to my little speaker. He paired it and then started playing a song from Infinite and I wondered if it would be a good idea to ask Yugyeom to dance. I was looking over at him when he noticed and stood up.  
"You want to dance?"  
"Oh no, no, I can't dance or sing. I'll leave that to the experts." Yugyeom grinned as he took my hand and started moving to the music. BamBam joined in happily and so did Mark. He did a backflip but landed and slipped on my carpet and I couldn't help it as I laughed out at the stunned expression on his face.  
"I'm so sorry….that's rude…" I said between laughs. He sat there staring at me as the others started to laugh and I walked over and gave him a hand. Back on his feet, he did another backflip, this time nailing it and we all cheered.  
It was weird but it seemed they were completely comfortable. I chanced a look over at Jackson and I caught him looking at me and immediately I turned away, blushing.  
"Crap." I tried to keep my cool as I gathered the glasses and put them on the tray. When I reached for the other tray, a pale hand touched mine and I looked up to meet his gaze on me.  
"I'll take it." Jackson said, his voice low. I just nodded and together we walked to the kitchen and I put the trays in the sink. Jackson silently ran the water and I watched as he reached for the sponge.  
"No, please. It's alright. I'll do them later."  
"It's okay. I may look like a lazy bum sometimes, but I like cleaning." I didn't argue with him as I helped him. We stood there silently, our hands working together to clean the dishes.  
"You smell nice." I almost dropped a glass on the floor when he said that, catching it just in time. I took a deep breath and looked straight at him and although he kept his cool look, I could tell he was suddenly flustered.  
"I…umm...thank you."  
"Sure…how is your arm?" Glad for the distraction, I looked at it and then at him and shrugged.  
"It's okay. Hurts a bit but it's better."  
"Good." We finished the rest in silence and were wiping our hands on a towel when JB walked into the tiny kitchen.  
"What are you guys doing?" JB asked as he picked up an apple from the fruit basket I'd set in the kitchen earlier and threw it in the air.  
"Nothing." Jackson said. "Let's go back." An odd look passed between them and for a moment I wondered if something was wrong.  
"Hey A-yana. Do you have any games?"  
"No…sorry, I have a deck of cards but I have no idea how to play anything." I said as I took a seat next to an exhausted Yugyeom.  
"Teach us something to play from your country." BamBam said excitedly.  
"You mean America?"  
"No I mean like where you're really from."  
"Oh okay. Well, we have this game in India where we all pick a partner and have to dance on this cloth and each time one couple dances off the piece of cloth, they get disqualified and the piece of cloth gets folded and the process repeats again until someone wins."  
"Oh that sounds cool! Let's play. Do you have any cloths we can use?" I thought about it and realized we could use the new towels I bought.  
"I'll be right back." They watched me walk back to my room and I realized the towels were stacked on top of my wardrobe, well out of my reach. I looked around me and found my rolling chair to give me a boost. I rolled it in front of the wardrobe and slowly stood on it, careful not to move it too much. I reached up and started to get the towels down. I strained my arm too much and pain shot up my ride side and I yanked back too hard, losing my footing.  
I was ready for the hard impact but it didn't come.  
"Oomph!" I heard someone say as I fell into their arms. I opened my eyes to find a surprised Mark standing there.  
"Oh!"  
"Are you alright?" A million thoughts raced through my mind and it took me a moment to understand what he was asking. I nodded silently and he smiled as he walked me over to my bed and sat me down. "Good thing I came looking for you."  
He looked up at the towels still sitting on top of the wardrobe and in one swift motion, got them down. I stood up, still a little shaky and he grabbed my hand and together we walked out of the room.  
"We got the towels." Mark announced.  
"Alright, let's play. Ayana, you said we need to pick teams right? I want to be on your team." BamBam said.  
"Hey, you can't just call teams like that!" And suddenly Got7 broke out into an argument.  
"Alright, we'll make a draw." JB decided.  
"Fine." The others agreed and our names were written on a chit and we divided into two teams and picked our partners.

"Looks like Yugyeom and I are a team." JB announced. They high fived as they nodded their heads.  
"I have Jackson." Mark announced.  
"I have Younjae." BamBam said and Jr. and I looked at each other.  
"I guess I have Ayana." For some reason, I felt a little nervous. I got a feeling that Jr. didn't like me. I knew it was ridiculous but no matter what I said to myself, the nagging feeling didn't leave.  
"Aww man." Mark said and pouted.  
"Alright, let's start." Jr. and I looked at each other as the others pushed the furniture aside and placed the towels on the ground. We stepped onto ours and waited for the music to start.  
"Okay, go!" Yugyeom pressed the button and the music started and we all started to dance. I moved awkwardly until Jr. placed his hand on my waist and I completely froze.  
Jr.'s POV  
I could tell she wasn't comfortable dancing with me. She moved awkwardly, never meeting my eyes once. I couldn't blame her. I wasn't exactly friendly with Ayana as the rest of them were.  
When I put my hand on her waist, I could feel her grow tense and stare right at me so I held her gaze and spoke to her softly.  
"Loosen up, you need to be free when you dance. We can win this." I said as fluently as I could.  
"Right…" She trailed off and I noticed her hips begin to move as she tried to ease up. I removed my hand from her waist and followed.  
"Good." I said and she smiled, catching me by surprise. I could see what the others saw in her. They were right, she was different.  
We were beginning to enjoy ourselves just as JB slipped up and he shouted in frustration as the others laughed.  
"Are you okay?" Ayana asked, trying hard not to giggle.  
"Yeah…"  
"JB you made us lose!" Yugyeom complained and JB grabbed Yugyeom in a headlock before releasing him and going to sit on the couch.  
"Alright! Let's win this." Mark said, hyped. I looked at Jackson who seemed to be having fun. We folded the towel and the game continued but I realized that Anaya and I were closer than before. There wasn't a lot of room to move so kind of stood in place and moved to the music.  
"Aye!" Youngjae started shouting at BamBam in Korean and they all laughed as he chased him.  
"Hey, calm down." Jackson said, trying to keep cool but he ended up laughing.  
"Let's continue. We can beat them, right Ayana?" Ayanaa looked at Mark and Jackson and then at me.  
"Of course." I grinned at her and for a moment, she stopped smiling before breaking out one of her own grins.  
"Let's do this!" The cloth folded once more and we decided how we would do this and I looked over at Jackson as Mark tried to climb onto his back. "Monkeys." I said as the others shouted excitedly.  
"Umm, I have an idea. I'll stand on the cloth and you can step on my feet, okay?" I could tell she felt uncomfortable about it but I bet it had to do more with her weight than anything else. Being an idol and girl groups, I knew how sensitive a weight issue could be. But from the looks of it, Ayana looked as light as a feather, even BamBam could pick her up and run a lap or two.  
"I don't…" She looked away from me, a worried expression on her face. The music started and I had no choice but to pick her up in my arms and dance to the music.  
"Ohhhhhh!" I heard the shouts of my other team members but I was more preoccupied with Ayana's surprised brown eyes as she looked up at me.  
"Sorry…" I said as we continued to dance to the music. She blushed and looked away but the small smile playing on her pinkish lips reassured me.  
"Game over! Game over!" BamBam yelled and I looked over to see Jackson struggling to keep a dancing Mark on his back.  
"Shutup!" Jackson yelled but it was no use. Both crashed to the floor in a fit of laughter and the music stopped.  
I stood there with Ayana in my arms, somehow unwilling to put her down. The warmth of her body seeped into mine and I welcomed it.  
"Junior….you can put her down now." Mark said as he calmed down. I gave him an irritated look as my ears turned pink and I set her down as everyone cheered.  
"That was fun!" Yugyeom said.  
"Yeah…Thanks for the dance." I gave Ayana one last smile before walking away and taking a seat next to JB.  
"You surprised me. I didn't know you liked her THAT much." JB teased and I just hit his arm. I didn't realize until later that I hadn't denied it.


End file.
